Centrifugal separator



June 24, 1924. I E. l. WEST ET AL ,15981758 CENTRIFUGAL SEPARATOR Filed July 12 11923 La f "lg N mais Patented June 24, 1924.

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EpD Israels; Wns'r AND LE ROY DANIEL Wnsr, or OAKLAND, oafrronnra, as-

srGNoas or, rrrrY-onn ren onn'r To WILLLAM n. Barrier, or orinnANn, gepr- @Relief CENTRIFUGAL snrean'rojn. v

Application filed July 12, 1923, Serial No. 651,017.

To all whom 'it mag/concern:

' Be it known that we, EDDY lsf-nxt; llVns'r and lLn Roy DANrnL'VVns'r, citizens of the United States, residing at Oakland. county of- Alameda, and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Centrifugal Separatore, of which the following is` a specification. This invention relates to a process and apparatus for recovering precious'metals by amalgamation.

'It is the object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus of the character referred to,by the use of which a maximum recovery of the precious metal contents of o re pump and metal bearing sands maybe'econo-mically effected. l

'ln' carrying out this object, the pulp or sand is passed through a rotating cylinder, the interior surface ofwhich carries' a. wall of? fluid' mercury for gathering the particles of precious metals'carried in the gangue and for separating them therefrom during the flow of the gangue through the cylinder; rEhe rotating cylinder is Apreferably disposedon the horizontal, andV its rotation causes the heavier particles ofy material to be thrownY by centrifugal action outwardly against the wall of mercuryk while the gangue is being passed through the cylinder under pressure'of itsrhydrostatic head and suctioncreated at tbe discharge end of the cylinder.

The preferred form ofl apparatus for practicing my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figi 1 is a longitudinal central section through the apparatus. y v 4 `Figl 2 isfan" end elevation of the same.

3 is a transverse section taken on line 3 3'of Figjl. Y i

Referring more particularly to the accompanying drawings, 10 indicates a hollow cylinder, the end 11 of which is reduced in diameter and constitutes a trunnion which is journalled in a bearing 12. The other end of theA cylinder threaded'ly connects with a' bell shaped! hea-Cl 'member 14 which is formed with a reduced rendl 15. constituting a trunnion. This trunnion is journalled in a bearing 16 and is fitted with a pulley 15a by which the structure may be rapidly revolved. The reduced end 11 of the cylinder is centrally bored and constitutes a communicating passageway between the interior of the cylinder and a feed hopper .17. This. hopper is supported by the; bearing 112 as shown in Fig. 1. '.f

The interior of the cylinder is formed with a plurality of annular riiiles 18 spaced equal distances apart forming annular pockets 19. therebetween. The interiorfdiameter of the riftles gradually increases from the feed end to the discharge end of the cylinder as is clearly illustrated in Biggy. 1. Adjacent the discharge end ofthe,eylini` der, the head ymember 14 is'formefd" with Ia plurality of radially disposedy discharge; portsQO, which communicate with a station ary pump casing 2l. Thisgcasi'ng isehannel; shaped .in cross section, as shownin Fig. l, and surrounds an enlarged portion I22 formed on theI head member. 1dY through which the discharge lports 2O, are, formed.v

vThe pump` casing' is fittedgwith .al discllnlgff.

nozzle 23 `which may be. connectedfnby pipes to a tank into which the tailingsjmay be deposited. v c,

In operation, sufficient mercury is introduced into the vcylinder to.k permit ,a wall of, mercury to be formed by 'centrifugal action over the interior ofthe 4cylinderwhenthe latter is revolved. The pulp or sliinewils yfed into the machine through thexfeed holp` per 17. Immediately after'the pulp enters the cylinder it is subjected to' the centrifugal action thereof and the particlesof preci'leus metalare thereby projected into the wall of; mercury, whilethel gangue passes through the cylinder and discharges through 'the portsQO.

As the cylinder revolves rapidly, the taily ings discharging through the portsr 20 into.

the pump, casing` will be discharged throughthefnozzle 23 of; the pump. This action will create aj suction in the'cylinder to assistw the feeding of the pulp therethrougli;H

It is obvious that when the pulp is passedi over the wallI of mercury, the centrifugali action will project the metal particles therein into the wall and cause them to accumib late in the pockets between the riti-les. jAcf cess may be had to the interior of;v the cyl-- inder. for cleaning purposelby l'movilngthe, head member 14.

By forming the opposite ends of the cylinder with heads having trunnions which rotatably support the same and by feeding the pulp through one of the trunnions and heads, we prevent the pulp from reachingl and destroying the bearings. This adds greatly to the efliciency of the device.

From the foregoing it is obvious that an improved process and apparatus for recovering precious metal from ore pulp has been provided. While we have shown and described the invention as now known to us, we wish it understood that various changes in the apparatus may be resorted to without departing from the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is l. A machine for the recovery of precious metals comprising a horizontally disposed hollow barrel having annular rii'iies formed around its interior surface, one end of said barrel being reduced in diameter, a bearing in which said reduced end is journalled, a

feed hopper associated with said barrel, said reduced end being centrally bored whereby to provide a communicating passageway between said feed hopper and the interior of the barrel, a hollow head member connected to the barrel at the other end thereof to close the same, one end of said head member being reduced in diameter, a bearing in which the reduced end of said head member is ournalled, a plurality of radially disposed ports formed around the circumference of the head member adjacent the end of the barrel, and a stationaryv pump casing surrounding said head member and enclosing said ports whereby when said barrel is roe tated the material entering the barrel through the feed hopper will be drawn through said ports and discharged from said pump casing.

2. A machine for the recovery of precious metals comprising a horizontally disposed hollow barrel, one end of said barrel being reduced in diameter, a bearing in which said reduced end of the barrel is journalled, a feed hopper associated with said barrel, said reduced end of the barrel being bored to provide a communicating passageway between said hopper and the interior of the barrel the interior of the barrel being formed with a plurality of annular pockets for containing an amalgamating agent, a hollow head member threaded on the other end of said barrel for closing the same, said head member being formed with an end of reduced diameter, a bearing in which said reduced end of the head meinber is journalled, said head member being formed with an annular enlargement adjacent the point where it joins the end of the incense barrel, a plurality of radial ports extending through said head member around the circumference of the enlargement, a stationary piunp casing surrounding the said enlargement on the head member whereby when said barrel is revolved the material fed into the barrel from the feed hopper will be drawn through the barrel and discharged from the pump casing,

3. A machine for the recovery of precious metals comprising a horizontally disposed cylindrical shell having rii'lies formed around its interior surface, heads at opposite ends of the shell, a trunnion carried by each head, bearings in which said trunnions are journalled for rotatably support ing the shell, a feed hopper associated with the shell, the trunnion and head at one end of the shell having a passageway formed therethrough to provide communication between said feed hopper and the interior of the barrel, a plurality of radially disposed ports formed around the circumference of the shell adjacent the opposite head, and a stationary pump casing surrounding the shell and enclosing said ports whereby when said shell is rotated material entering the shell through said passageway will be drawn through said ports and discharged from the pump casing.

il. A machine for the recovery of precious metals comprising a horizontally disposed cylindrical shell, the same having a counterform interior bore formed with a plurality of annular pockets adapted to contain an amalgamating agent, heads at opposite ends of the shell, trunnions projecting from the heads, bearings in which trunnions are jouiLN naled for rotatably supporting the shell, a feed hopper associated with the shell, the trunnion and head at one end of the barrel being bored to provide a communicating passageway between said hopper and the interior of the shell, the opposite head being` closed and detachablv connected to the shell, the said bored head oeing concave whereby material entering through said passageway will be directed to the counterform interior surface of the shell, a plurality of radial ports formed through said shell adjacent the closed head, and a stationary pump casing surrounding the shell and enclosing said ports whereby when said shell is revolved the material fed into the shell through said passageway will be drawn through the shell a d discharged from the pump casing.

EDDY ISHAM l/l/'EST LE ROY DANIEL WEST lll@ 

